We have ignored the Healthcare System in our country for decades and look where we are! Our Ignorance and tolerance of the so-called Market Driven Health Care has resulted in Disaster! The biggest culprit, those Corporate Executives , Insurance Companies,Lobbyists and our lawmakers, the politicians. All equally guilty of GREED! Although our government and the laws written have allowed an open door to Fraud, it is time to bring the Corporate Criminals & Politicians to Justice.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

$60 Million to Settle False Claims Act and they still are BILLING!!!

What is wrong with this picture? And they are allowed to still OPERATE and BILL MEDICARE/MEDICAID!!!

As part of the $60 million settlement, Cox has entered into a Corporate Integrity Agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General. The Corporate Integrity Agreement contains measures to ensure compliance with Medicare regulations and policies in the future.

Missouri Health Care System to Pay U.S. $60 Million to Settle False Claims Act AllegationsJuly 23, 2008Lester E. Cox Medical Centers, a health care system headquartered in Springfield, Mo., has agreed to pay the United States to settle claims that it violated the False Claims Act, the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Statute between 1996 and 2005, by entering into certain financial relationships with referring doctors at a local physician group and engaging in improper billing practices with respect to Medicare. Cox, a not-for-profit healthcare organization, will pay the United States $60 million to resolve these claims.

Under the Stark Statute, Medicare providers like Cox are prohibited from billing the federal health care program for referrals from doctors with whom the providers have a financial relationship, unless that relationship falls within certain exceptions. The United States contended that certain relationships between Cox and physicians ran afoul of the Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits offering inducements to providers in return for patient referrals, and the Stark statute. Additional claims being resolved concern Cox’s inclusion of non-reimbursable costs on its Medicare cost reports and improper billings for services provided to dialysis patients.

“The Justice Department is committed to ensuring that the best interests of federal health care program patients are not compromised by unlawful payments to physicians,” said Gregory G. Katsas, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The resolution of this matter resulted in a significant recovery for taxpayers, and it exemplifies our dedication to vigorous enforcement of the Stark and Anti-Kickback Statutes.”

As part of the $60 million settlement, Cox has entered into a Corporate Integrity Agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General. The Corporate Integrity Agreement contains measures to ensure compliance with Medicare regulations and policies in the future.“Today’s settlement furthers both our commitment to protecting patients from improper billing practices and the continued ability of Cox to provide quality medical care in Springfield and the Ozarks,” said John F. Wood, U.S. Attorney in Kansas City, Mo. “I am pleased that we were able to resolve this matter without litigation.”

The settlement with Cox was the result of a coordinated effort by the Commercial Litigation Branch of the Justice Department’s Civil Division; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri; HHS’ Office of Inspector General, Office of Counsel to the Inspector General, and Office of Audit Services; and the FBI.Source: DoJ

About Me

I prefer to remain hopeful with the notion "Justice for ALL" , around the world. I believe that education is the key to peace and justice.Too much of the small stuff is focused on in mainstream media opposed to the reality of life in a Global World.
The US educational system is declining in the world ranking.
Our Health Care System is a Market-Driven System and as usual, with humans, the superior animal on this planet, have not been monitored. Humans need to be monitored.
CORPORATE CONTROL,Greed,De-regulation of Humans, Our elected and appointed Politicians and CORRUPTION has allowed our country to get to this point of destruction! We need to remember that the founding fathers created this country by it's government "FOR THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE" which has been transformed into a free-for-all.This is mycountry and the only country I can obtain a passport for, (legally anyway)thus I will try to do my part, as a citizen of my country to ensure it remains "We the people, for the people, by the people"!Just like our FOUNDERS intended it to be!